Ribbons in the Y

A lot of women who exercise at the Jennersville Y are sporting very pretty ribbon headbands designed by Y member Jackie Canan. Not only do they look nice, but they're also comfortable, they keep your hair out of your eyes and they actually stay put through a tough workout. One young mother I know says she wears her Canan Bands daily and her adorable toddler daughter will now wear no other headbands. They come in a variety of colors and patterns, Jackie can even custom-make the headbands in school, team or other organization colors.

The website is http://cananbands.vpweb.com/default.html

Peak performance

Want to improve your tennis game?
Put on a new roof. Yourself.
My opponents started re-doing the roof of their Cochranville home in March and thoroughly whomped me on the tennis court on Sunday. Apparently struggling with windblown tarps, hauling piles of shingles and balancing nailguns has given them not only amazing upper-body strength but also impeccable teamwork.

With a bang

Birmingham Township is the oldest township in Chester County, and it's going to be celebrating its 325th birthday with a big community party on Aug. 27. The township is looking for volunteers to help out. Drop an email to: birminghamtwp325th@gmail.com.

Deadline approaching

The deadline for Newlin Township's "Name that Stream" contest is Monday, July 11, so submit your suggestions for the 13 unnamed streams to info@newlintownship.org. According to the "Newlin News," about 40 entries have been sent in so far.

Ebernezer AME Church

This morning I received a note from a lifelong Unionville resident who asked me to mention two unsung local volunteers, and I am delighted to do so. Tim Kofke and Mike Wells are the two gentlemen who tend and mow the old Ebernezer AME graveyard on Doe Run Road, right across from the bus garage.
"They love doing it with no strings attached," she writes. "There are still people in this crazy world who do things like this because they enjoy doing it."
And thank goodness there are. I stopped by the other evening and the cemetery was beautifully kept. Thank you, Tim and Mike!

Mulch caveat

A few weeks back I wrote about how I put lots and lots of mulch between the rows in my garden. A reader who is a landscape architect cautioned that, around trees, more mulch is not better:
"Unfortunately, when people put 3-4 inches of mulch around trees, they tend to think more is better and cover up both the ground and the trunk. This keeps the trunk moist and causes the tree to die. We, in the landscape business, call these piles of mulch around trees "mulch volcanoes" and urge you to think about putting less mulch down instead. While the mulch does eventually provide nutrients for the tree, putting 3-4 inches down tends to make the mulch harden rather than break down."
Well said, and thank you.

Man about town

Is there a more gregarious fellow than Harry Wackerman, the manager of the Kennett Area Senior Center's Used Book Shoppe, 113 S. Union Street?
The other day at the Giant, I spotted Harry chatting to a friend while he was loading groceries into his car, and I hollered to him. And while he was waving at me, somebody else in another car beeped at him. He seems to know everyone!
By the way, did you know that if the fire siren sounds when you're in the bookstore, your books are half-price?

First Day

A few historic Quaker meetinghouses that aren't in regular use are open during the summer. Meeting for Worship will be held at:
-- London Britain Meeting, 10:30 a.m. each Sunday in the summer
-- Penns Grove Meeting, 10 a.m. July 24 and Aug. 28
-- Old Kennett Meeting, 11 a.m. July 31 and Aug. 28
-- Homeville Meeting, 2 p.m. Aug. 28
-- Parkersville Meeting, 1 p.m. Sept. 11
For directions visit http://www.localquakers.org/

East Enders

Congratulations to my dear friend Cathy Quillman for winning a $2,500 grant from the Leeway Foundation! Cathy, a talented writer and artist, will use the grant money to research and write "Walking the East End," a book about a historic African American neighborhood in West Chester. "She hopes that the community will be rightly celebrated as a place of independence—one that began when the community was settled by free black men. The purpose of the [book] is to record the memories of the diminishing number of local residents and to document certain neighborhood landmarks in an area that is changing drastically."
Cathy's previous books include "Between the Brandywines," a history of West Bradford Township; "Chester County: A Photographic Journey"; "The Conestoga Turnpike"; "The Story of Milford Mills"; and most recently "100 Artists of the Brandywine Valley."

Real estate news

Brooklawn, the late Mrs. Hannum's estate on Newark Road, has been sold to a family member, and local folks seem to be really happy that it's staying in that venerable family.
In other real-estate news, Dunleigh, the late Teddy Marvin's place, is on the market for $1.1 million. The 22-acre estate, which is on Street Road across from New Bolton Center, includes what the real-estate listing diplomatically calls an "iconic" 1883 mansion that has been split into apartments: "A buyer will be well rewarded for the investment they put into this lovely property."

Games Day

A Cochranville friend reports that she and her mule participated in some mounted games recently with the Charlie Horse Riding Club, a local branch of the nationwide Old People's Riding Club ("old" being defined as anyone above pony club age). One contest involved taking your feet out of the stirrups and doing a full 360-degree turn on the saddle as quickly as possible. She said she would have easily beaten all of her much-younger competitors -- except for the fact that she accidentally kicked her steed in the process.

Free market

Kids, do you already miss your teachers?
You can see what they're up to on "The UCF Trader," an online swap shop for district employees. Recent entries include requests for cat-food coupons, the name of a good dermatologist and somebody who plays the steel drums. You need a login to post, but anyone can view the conversations.